Waldorf Quinoa Salad {recipe} and How to Cook Quinoa

The first time I ever thought about cooking with quinoa, I had absolutely no idea how to approach it. Do you cook it in a lot of water, like pasta then drain it? Do you cook it with just enough water like rice? Can you cook quinoa in any of the same ways you might cook oatmeal and let it just soak overnight? What about cooking it the microwave?!

The microwave part though, we’ve already tried with oatmeal and don’t really need to do it again.

Besides, we don’t own a microwave oven anymore.

Before cooking quinoa with any method, rinse it. We put the quinoa in a large bowl or pot, add just enough water to cover the quinoa to cover by an inch, then not just swirl, but get our hands in there and rub the grains together. Drain through a fine mesh strainer, dump back into bowl or pot, and repeat. We do this several times until the rinse water is essentially clear.

Cooking Quinoa on the Stovetop – The “Rice” Method

It seems that the most common way to cook quinoa is on the stovetop, like rice, with just enough liquid for the quinoa to soak up during the cooking time. The quinoa-to-liquid ratio hovers around 1:2 (1 cup uncooked quinoa in 2 cups liquid), with slight variation depending on the type of quinoa and personal preference for the final texture. We generally like softer quinoa so use the 1:2 ratio, and when we want a sturdier, “crunchier” texture, we just use a different quinoa, black or red.

For every 1 cup uncooked quinoa, add 2 cups cooking liquid (usually, we just use water, though using a stock will add some flavor to the cooked quinoa). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to low and simmer uncovered until the liquid is gone and the quinoa is translucent and the small white “sprout” is visible, about 15 minutes. The first few times you cook quinoa, watch the pot carefully, stir occasionally, and remember exactly how long it takes for your stove.

Cooking Quinoa on the Stovetop – The “Drain” Method

What we are calling the “drain” method is the way we cook pasta — cook quinoa in a lot of liquid, then drain off the excess water.

For every 1 cup of quinoa, add at least 3 times the amount of water to a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Once the quinoa is cooked, remove the pot from the heat, pour into a fine mesh strainer to drain off excess cooking liquid.

Cooking Quinoa on the Stovetop – The “Overnight” Method

We thought the “Overnight” method, which is the same method we’ve used before on oatmeal, would be some huge convenience or time-saver, but it’s just sort of a time saver. It does save the 15 minutes of cooking time, and if you’re still new to cooking quinoa, it saves you from 15 minutes of “active” watching time so it doesn’t burn. You still have to measure the quinoa and liquid, and bring the pot to a boil. The advantage here is that once you bring it to a boil, you’re free because you turn it off, cover it, and let it sit overnight.

Put quinoa and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit out overnight.

Cooking Quinoa in a Rice Cooker

This is the only way we cook quinoa now and don’t know how we ever did it before figuring out we could do it this way.

Just put quinoa in a rice cooker. Add about twice as much water. You don’t have to be super precise, but don’t eyeball it either. Turn on the rice cooker. If you have a smart rice cooker, it will make perfect quinoa no matter what you do.

How do you cook quinoa? Is there some other method we missed that could change our lives? Please share!

We like to make the maximum capacity of quinoa in the rice cooker, eat some of it “fresh” out of the pot that day, and store the leftover in the fridge to make quinoa dishes for the rest of the week, like a Waldorf-inspired Quinoa Salad. This salad has the basic components of a Waldorf Salad — apples, blue cheese, celery, grapes, and walnuts — but minus the creamy dressing (which is usually mayo). We just tossed everything with a light, lemon and herb vinaigrette.

Waldorf Quinoa Salad

This is not so much a recipe as it guidelines for the basic components. Adjust everything to taste.makes enough for 1 or 2

the first few times i cooked quinoa I found it turned out kind of wet. One night I was cooking a million things at once and when the quinoa was done i didn’t have time to serve it up so I turned off the stove and put a lid on the pot, intending to come back to it. 10 minutes later I pulled off the lid and HEY PRESTO! Perfect Quinoa! Turns out I just needed to let it steam a bit like I do with brwon rice or pilaf to get that perfect fluffy texture. Give it a shot if you find your quinoa coming out too wet :)

I use cooked quinoa, preferably red, with chicken broth in place of at least one half the water when I make brussel sprouts or broccoli for a meal. I sauté chopped onions and fresh garlic (garlic powder if you don’t have fresh) in olive oil until transparent, adding the garlic a few minutes after the onions so it doesn’t burn. Then, I put in the broccoli florets or Brussels sprouts, add a little more olive oil and cook on low to medium, until done, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn. Then I add the cooked quinoa, salt and pepper, and simmer for just a few minutes before serving. This makes a delicious vegetable side dish and you get extra protein as well, from the quinoa. (I cook gluten-free meals, so this is a favorite of mine.)

I just wanted to add a method I heard about that also works well to cook quinoa overnight. Instead of a pot to let the boiling water soak overnight, I use a small thermos. It keeps the water warmer and ensures the quinoa absorbs the water overnight.